How what you eat affects how you sleep

A study looked into how what you eat affects your sleep and found diet quality and influence sleep quality.

A recent study held by researchers from the Institute of Human Nutrition at Columbia University Medical Center in New York has found that a person's diet greatly affects the quality of sleep that they get.

"Our main finding was that diet quality influenced sleep quality," study leader Marie-Pierre St-Onge, PhD, assistant professor in the department of medicine and Institute of Human Nutrition at Columbia University Medical Center, said in a press release.

The study, published in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, found that a diet containing more saturated fat and more sugar and less fiber is linked to less restorative, disrupted sleep.

"It was most surprising that a single day of greater fat intake and lower fiber could influence sleep parameters," St-Ongeadded.

The study looked into the sleep quality of 26 adult participants (13 men and 13 women). These participants weighed normally and had an average age of 35. They were given controlled diets for four days and were given freedom to choose the food they want on the fifth day of the study.

The participants spent five nights in a “sleep lab,” spending 9 hours in bed from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. They slept an average of 7 hours and 35 minutes every night. Participant sleep data were gathered every night using polysomnography. Moreover, the data were analyzed after three days of feeding on controlled diets and after the fifth night where the participants chose their own food.

The researchers found that, when a participant consumes more fiber and less sugars and less saturated fat,he/she will be spending more time in the stage of deep, “slow wave” sleep, which is more restorative. On the other hand, greater sugar intake was linked to a heightened number of arousals during sleep.

The researchers also found that the participants were able to sleep quicker when they ate the fixed meals, which had low amounts of saturated fat and higher amounts of protein compared to the meals the participants themselves selected. These fixed meals were provided by a nutritionist.

The participants, after eating the meals they selected on their own, were able to sleep an average of 29 minutes after consuming their food and drink. On the other hand, it took them only an average of 17 minutes to sleep after eating the meals provided by the nutritionist.

"The finding that diet can influence sleep has tremendous health implications, given the increasing recognition of the role of sleep in the development of chronic disorders such as hypertension, diabetes and cardiovascular disease," St-Onge said.

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Persistent debunked autism fads

This study from Emory University discusses why debunked autism treatment fads continue to persist.

The communication struggles of children with autism spectrum disorder can drive parents and educators to try anything to understand their thoughts, needs and wants. Unfortunately, specialists in psychology and communication disorders do not always communicate the latest science so well.

These factors make the autism community especially vulnerable to interventions and "therapies" that have been thoroughly discredited, says Scott Lilienfeld, a psychologist at Emory University.

"Hope is a great thing, I'm a strong believer in it," Lilienfeld says. "But the false hope buoyed by discredited therapies can be cruel, and it may prevent people from trying an intervention that actually could deliver benefits."

Lilienfeld is lead author of a commentary, "The persistence of fad interventions in the face of negative scientific evidence: Facilitated communication for autism as a case example," recently published by the journal Evidence-Based Communication Assessment and Intervention. Co-authors of the commentary are Julia Marshall (also from Emory) and psychologists James Todd (from Eastern Michigan University), and Howard Shane (director of the Autism Language Program at Boston Children's Hospital).

The authors describe a litany of treatments for autism that have been attempted with little or no success over the years, including gluten- and casein-free diets, antifungal interventions, chelation therapy, magnetic shoe inserts, hyperbaric oxygen sessions, weighted vests, bleach enemas, sheep-stem-cell injections and many more.

As a case study, however, the article focuses on one intervention in particular: Facilitated Communication, or FC.

FC purports to allow previously nonverbal individuals with autism and related disorders to type by using a keyboard or letter pad. A facilitator offers support to the individual's arms, allowing him or her to type words and complete sentences.

Soon after its introduction into the United States in the early 1990s, however, FC was convincingly debunked. Studies overwhelmingly demonstrated that facilitators were unconsciously guiding the hands of individuals with autism toward the desired letters, much as individuals using a Ouija board unknowingly guide the planchette to certain numbers and letters.

"The emotional appeal of FC is very powerful and understandable," Lilienfeld says. "And no doubt the overwhelming majority of people who use FC are sincere and well-meaning. The problem is, it doesn't work."

In some cases, the authors note, FC has resurfaced with minor variations in the technique and a new name, such as "rapid prompting," or "supported typing."

By reviewing published surveys of practitioner use and canvassing the popular and academic literatures, Lilienfeld and his co-authors show that FC continues to be widely used and widely disseminated in much of the autism community despite its scientific refutation. They examine a number of potential reasons for the surprising persistence of FC and other autism fads. They note that the inherent difficulties in treating autism may give rise to an understandable desire for quick fixes of many kinds.

Lilienfeld and his colleagues underscore the pressing need for experts in the autism field to better educate the public about not only what works for the condition, but what does not.

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Foods that can help you get better sleep

This article gives seven different foods that can help you sleep better at night.

The CDC calls insufficient sleep a public health epidemic, those who suffer from insomnia know it more as an awful vexing nuisance that hampers quality of life and taxes productivity. Not only that, it is linked to everything from car crashes and occupational errors to chronic diseases like hypertension, diabetes, depression, and obesity, as well as cancer and increased mortality. Oh, elusive sleep!

An estimated 50 to 70 million U.S. adults have a sleep disorder, and about 4 percent of American adults use a prescription sleep aid, not to mention over-the-counter medications. But both families of sleep aids have their host of problems and side effects, from allergic reactions to “complex sleep-related behavior,” in which a person taking sleep-inducing sedatives might get up at night, eat, make phone calls, have sex, and even get in the car and go for a drive, all while not really quite awake. To sleep, perchance to get up and sleep-call an ex – ay, there's the rub.

In the meantime, there has been ample research looking into foods that can help you sleep better. While they may not conk you out as forcefully as a sleeping pill, they can definitely have an effect. So in an effort to steer clear of pharmaceuticals and avoid a potentially embarrassing “complex sleep-related behavior," here are some of the foods that experts say can inspire some Zs.

1. Tart cherry juice
Research out of Louisiana State University found that adults with insomnia who drank 8 ounces of tart cherry juice twice a day for two weeks had an average of 84 more minutes of sleep time nightly compared to two-week periods in which they drank no juice or a placebo. It is thought that cherry juice’s natural supply of the sleep-wake cycle hormone melatonin and the sleep-friendly amino acid tryptophan are behind the magic. Study co-author Frank L. Greenway, says, “Proanthocyanidins, or the ruby red pigments in tart cherry juice, contain an enzyme that reduces inflammation and decreases the breakdown of tryptophan, letting it go to work longer in your body."

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2. Kiwi
A study from Taiwan’s Taipei Medical University found that eating two kiwi fruits around an hour before bedtime had surprising results. Psychology Today reports that study participants fell asleep more quickly, with a decrease in falling-asleep time of 35.4 percent. They also slept 28.9 percent more soundly and slept better, with a 42.4 percent improvement on a standardized sleep quality questionnaire. Overall, total sleep time for the study subjects increased by 13.4 percent.

3. Seaweed 
A University of Oxford study found that higher blood levels of omega-3 DHA (the fatty acids found in algae and seafood) were linked to better sleep. In a randomized, placebo-controlled study, the researchers examined if 16 weeks of taking 600 mg of algae supplement would improve the sleep of 362 children. Indeed, they found the children experienced better sleep, including less bedtime resistance, parasomnias and total sleep disturbance.

4. Walnuts
University of Texas researchers found that walnuts are a great source of melatonin and that eating them can lead to higher blood levels of this internal-clock controlling hormone, resulting in improved sleep.

5. Almonds
A study published in the Journal of Orthomolecular Medicine found that if the body is suffering from low levels of magnesium, sleep problems often ensue. The National Institutes of Health lists almonds as the number one source of magnesium; adding almonds to your diet is good all around, but may be especially good for boosting some shut-eye.

FromSandToGlass/Flickr/CC BY 2.0

6. Chamomile tea
Here's one from grandma's natural remedy playbook. According to the National Institutes of Health, chamomile tea is a traditional remedy to treat insomnia and induce calm. Widely regarded as a mild tranquilizer and sleep-inducer, studies confirm its calming effect. One Japanese study found that chamomile extract helped rats fall asleep as effectively as rats that got a dose of the tranquilizer, benzodiazepine! Use two or three tea bags for best effect, and make sure to cover the cup while steeping.

7. Peanut butter sandwich
Researchers say that a spike of insulin can change our circadian rhythms and can induce sleep. A good dose of carbs and sugars can make people feel sluggish and so eating carbs at dinner can help slow your body down and prepare it for sleep. The National Sleep Foundation suggests a mix of protein and carbohydrates to induce slumber – peanut butter, or better yet, almond butter, on whole grain toast may be all you need to bring out your inner Morpheus.

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Diet changes to help tough-to-treat epilepsy

This article explains low-carb high-fat diets and how they help tough-to-treat epilepsy.

Diets high in fat and low in carbohydrates, such as the ketogenic or modified Atkins diet, may reduce seizures in adults with tough-to-treat epilepsy, according to a review of the research published in the October 29, 2014, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

Epilepsy is a nervous system disorder in which the nerve cells in the brain work abnormally, causing seizures. About 50 million people have epilepsy worldwide, according to the World Health Organization.

"We need new treatments for the 35 percent of people with epilepsy whose seizures are not stopped by medications," said study author Pavel Klein, M.B.,B. Chir., of the Mid-Atlantic Epilepsy and Sleep Center in Bethesda, Md., and a member of the American Academy of Neurology. "The ketogenic diet is often used in children, but little research has been done on how effective it is in adults."

The ketogenic and modified Atkins diets include items such as bacon, eggs, heavy cream, butter, leafy green vegetables and fish. The ketogenic diet consists of a ratio of fat to protein/carbohydrates of three or four to one by weight. The modified Atkins diet has a one-to-one fat to carbohydrate/protein ratio by weight.

Scientists reviewed five studies on the ketogenic diet with a total of 47 people included in the analysis and five studies on the modified Atkins diet with 85 people included.

Researchers found that across all studies, 32 percent of people treated with the ketogenic diet and 29 percent of those treated with the modified Atkins diet experienced a 50 percent or better reduction in their seizures. Nine percent in the ketogenic treatment group and 5 percent in the modified Atkins group had a greater than 90 percent reduction in seizures.

The positive results occurred quickly with both diets, within days to weeks. The effect persisted long-term, but, unlike in children, the results did not continue after participants stopped following the diet. Side effects of both diets were similar and not serious, with weight loss the most common side effect.

Fifty-one percent of the ketogenic diet group and 42 percent of the modified Atkins group stopped the diet before the study was completed.

"Unfortunately, long-term use of these diets is low because they are so limited and complicated. Most people eventually stop the diet because of the culinary and social restrictions," said Klein. "However, these studies show the diets are moderately to very effective as another option for people with epilepsy."

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How sleep impacts a person's health

This article explains how sleep can impact many factors of a person's overall health, such as dietary choices.

The mechanisms of sleep are only partially clear and remain the subject of intense research according to the National Sleep Foundation.

"Determining the specific amount of sleep that is sufficient for optimal health is difficult since it may vary depending on age of the individual, performance, co-existing health problems and life-style and environmental factors," said Dr. Lydia Kaume, nutrition and health education specialist, University of Missouri Extension.

As a guideline, Kaume says studies indicate getting enough sleep — 8 to 10 hours for adults — may provide significant long-term health benefits. About two-thirds of Americans lack enough sleep.

A 2011 National Sleep Foundation poll found that 43 percent of Americans between the ages of 13 and 64 say they rarely or never get a good night's sleep during the week. In addition, more than 60 percent report a sleep problem every night, including: snoring, waking in the night or waking up too early.

Researchers are also searching for links that demonstrate a relationship between sleep and its influence on individual dietary choices.

"Some studies have demonstrated that those who sleep less are more likely to consume energy-dense foods, including fats or refined carbohydrates, more likely to have more irregular meal patterns, and less likely to consume adequate amounts of vegetables," said Kaume.

A review published in Nutrition Research (April of 2012) shows these relationships. The studies show that foods most helpful in promoting sleep increased bioavailability of tryptophan and production of serotonin.

Tryptophan is an essential amino acid (the body cannot make it and has to be consumed in the diet), and is found in cheese, chicken, eggs, milk, peanuts, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, soy and tofu, turkey.

"Our bodies' body uses tryptophan to make serotonin, a neurotransmitter, a chemical that is thought to promote sleep and balanced mood, and multiple functions including effects on appetite and memory," said Kaume.

With regard to health, several studies support the link between sleep disturbances and immune function, and inflammation. Although these relationships are complex and unclear, sleep deprivation is known to result in increased levels of inflammatory markers, which then lead to further activation of the inflammatory cascade.

Studies have also shown associations between sleep disorders and in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), a chronic immune-mediated inflammatory disease of the gastrointestinal tract.

"As more of such studies are published, it is becoming apparent that individuals need to consider taking action to ensure they sleep better to prevent health problems associated with sleep disturbances," said Kaume.

Most researchers agree that eliminating habits or foods that interfere with sleep would be a great way to deal with sleep problems. Here are some tips from several tips that may help you sleep better according to Kaume.

Avoid caffeine at least four-hours before bed time. Caffeine typically stays in the body for four to six hours and may decrease melatonin levels in the body.

Avoid alcohol before bed, although it may make individuals doze off easier, the sleep is shallow causes one to awake later in the night.

Avoid nicotine, and spicy meals may also be helpful as they interfere with sleep.

Keep a regular schedule and to your best to sleep at the same time every night.

Light sleepers may wear ear plugs.

Avoid liquids near bed time to avoid getting up needing to use the bathroom.

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Common issues that hurt your sleep

This article discusses common issues that hurt people's sleep, and tells you what to do about them.

You might remember a time when you could drift off to sleep in an instant and remain in a state of blissful slumber well past lunchtime the next day. Now your sleep is more likely to be lighter and more fitful, and when you wake up in the morning you don't always feel refreshed.

A lack of good-quality sleep could be a natural consequence of changing sleep-wake patterns after menopause. It's also likely that the issue is physical--and fixable. Many conditions can disrupt your rest, and they can be treated. It's important to address these issues. Lack of sleep does more than make you drowsy. Chronic insomnia has been linked to a variety of health problems, including obesity, high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes and depression.

Go through this list to see whether you might have one of these sleep-stealing conditions. Also check your medicine cabinet. Some medications, including corticosteroids, beta blockers, cold and flu remedies, and certain antidepressants also can interfere with sleep.

1. Sleep apnea

The conventional image of sleep apnea is of the overweight man who snores, but women of any size can also develop these repeated pauses in breathing while they sleep.

"A woman who has a narrow jaw or a change in muscle tone can get apnea," says Dr. Julia Schlam Edelman, clinical instructor in obstetrics and reproductive biology at Harvard Medical School and author of "Successful Sleep Strategies for Women and Menopause Matters: Your Guide to a Long and Healthy Life." Either of these anatomical issues can block oxygen from reaching your lungs (and subsequently the rest of your body) while you sleep. Snoring might not be your main symptom if you do have sleep apnea, but you will notice that you're especially sleepy during the day.

Solution: See a specialist for a sleep study. You may be able to relieve apnea with a few lifestyle adjustments, such as sleeping on your side or losing weight. Your doctor might also suggest an oral appliance or a CPAP machine that blows air into your airways to keep them open at night.

2. Diet

What you eat can affect your sleep. Spicy foods can contribute to painful heartburn. Big meals leave you uncomfortably full, and over time can contribute to obesity--a well-known risk factor for sleep apnea. Too much caffeine could keep you wide awake, even if you finish your coffee in the morning.

"It takes six hours to clear half of the caffeine from your body. If you have enough caffeine, it's still in your body at 4 in the morning," says Dr. Edelman. And though a glass of wine or two with dinner will make you feel relaxed or even sleepy, it won't help you sleep. "You can fall asleep, but once you're asleep you can't sleep deeply," she says.

Solution: Eat dinner at least a couple of hours before bedtime, and keep the meal light. Avoid spicy, fatty foods, as well as alcohol and caffeine. Also, don't drink too many fluids before bed. Having to constantly get up to go to the bathroom can disrupt your sleep, too.

3. Lack of exercise

Sleep and exercise complement each other. Working out regularly can help you sleep better, and conversely, you're more likely to exercise if you get a good night's rest.

Solution: Exercise every day if you can, ideally in the morning. Doing a high-energy aerobic routine too close to bedtime can have the opposite of the intended effect, making you too energized to sleep. A gentle yoga stretch before bed probably won't hurt, though. It might even help you relax.

4. Pain

Arthritis aches or any other kinds of pain don't make for restful slumber. Conversely, a lack of sleep can increase your pain. Researchers believe that a lack of sleep may activate inflammatory pathways that exacerbate arthritis pain. Poor sleep can also make you more sensitive to the feeling of pain.

Solution: In addition to the pain remedies your doctor recommends, try using a heating pad or taking a warm bath before bed to soothe achy joints or muscles. Lying against a body pillow can put you in a more comfortable position while you sleep.

5. Restless legs syndrome

Women are twice as likely as men to have restless legs syndrome (RLS)--a condition that causes a creepy, crawly feeling and uncontrollable movements in the legs at night. It's often linked to hormonal changes early in life and during pregnancy, but RLS can continue as you get older. RLS isn't just miserably uncomfortable--researchers at Harvard have linked this condition to an increased risk for heart disease and depression in women.

Solution: Try simple interventions first. Exercise every day, take a hot bath before bed, massage your legs, and cut back on things that can make you jittery--like caffeine and tobacco. If these measures don't work, your doctor may recommend one of several medicines that reduce RLS symptoms--including ropinirole (Requip), pramipexole (Mirapex), rotigotine (Neupro), or gabapentin enacarbil (Horizant).

6. Depression

"Depression is a common compromiser of sleep, and it's much more common in women than in men," Dr. Edelman says. Women who are depressed may sleep more than usual, but their sleep isn't restful. Some of the antidepressants meant to counteract depression, particularly SSRIs, can also interfere with sleep.

Solution: See your primary care doctor, psychologist, psychiatrist, or therapist for help, which may include medications, talk therapy, or both. If your antidepressant seems to be keeping you awake, ask your doctor to switch you to another drug.

7. Stress

It's impossible to sleep when the weight of the day is pressing on you. Finding a sense of calm before bed isn't easy, especially when you can't unplug from the demands of your day.

Solution: Establish wind-down time. Do a quiet, relaxing activity before bed that doesn't involve a screen. Talk to a friend or family member, sew, or read a real book--not one on a backlit tablet device.

"Just allow yourself to have quiet time," Dr. Edelman adds. And don't sleep with your smartphone on your bedside table.

8. Poor sleep habits

Sometimes insomnia stems from long-ingrained behaviors, like staying up too late or engaging in stimulating activities before bed.

Solution: Follow a few basic sleep hygiene strategies. Go to bed and wake up at the same times each day. Keep your bedroom cool, dark, and comfortable. Use your bed for sleep and sex only. If you can't fall asleep within 15 minutes, get up and leave the bedroom. Read or do another quiet activity for 15 to 20 minutes until you get sleepy.

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Study: Genes link circadian clock to eating schedule

A study found that specific genes link a person's circadian clock to their eating schedule.

For most people, the urge to eat a meal or snack comes at a few, predictable times during the waking part of the day. But for those with a rare syndrome, hunger comes at unwanted hours, interrupts sleep and causes overeating.

Now, Salk scientists have discovered a pair of genes that normally keeps eating schedules in sync with daily sleep rhythms, and, when mutated, may play a role in so-called night eating syndrome. In mice with mutations in one of the genes, eating patterns are shifted, leading to unusual mealtimes and weight gain. The results were published in this month's Cell Reports.

"We really never expected that we would be able to decouple the sleep-wake cycle and the eating cycle, especially with a simple mutation," says senior study author Satchidananda Panda, an associate professor in Salk's Regulatory Biology Laboratory. "It opens up a whole lot of future questions about how these cycles are regulated."

More than a decade ago, researchers discovered that individuals with an inherited sleep disorder often carry a particular mutation in a protein called PER2. The mutation is in an area of the protein that can be phosphorylated -- the ability to bond with a phosphate chemical that changes the protein's function. Humans have three PER, or period, genes, all thought to play a role in the daily circadian clock and all containing the same phosphorylation spot.

The Salk scientists joined forces with a Chinese team led by Ying Xu of Nanjing University to test whether mutations in the equivalent area of PER1 would have the same effect as those in PER2 that caused the sleep disorder. So they bred mice to lack the mouse period genes, and added in a human PER1 or PER2 with a mutation in the phosphorylation site. As expected, mice with a mutated PER2 had sleep defects, dozing off earlier than usual. The same wasn't true for PER1 mutations though.

"In the mice without PER1, there was no obvious defect in their sleep-wake cycles," says Panda. "Instead, when we looked at their metabolism, we suddenly saw drastic changes."

Mice with the PER1 phosphorylation defects ate earlier than other mice -- causing them to wake up and snack before their sleep cycle was over -- and ate more food throughout their normal waking period. When the researchers looked at the molecular details of the PER1 protein, they found that the mutated PER1 led to lower protein levels during the sleeping period, higher levels during the waking period, and a faster degradation of protein whenever it was produced by cells.

Panda and his colleagues hypothesize that normally, PER1 and PER2 are kept synchronized since they have identical phosphorylation sites -- they are turned on and off at the same times, keeping sleep and eating cycles aligned. But a mutation in one of the genes could break this link, and cause off-cycle eating or sleeping.

"For a long time, people discounted night eating syndrome as not real," says Panda. "These results in mice suggest that it could actually be a genetic basis for the syndrome." The researchers haven't yet tested, however, whether any humans with night eating syndrome have mutations in PER1.

When Panda and Xu's team restricted access to food, providing it only at the mice's normal meal times, they found that even with a genetic mutation in PER1, mice could maintain a normal weight. Over a 10-week follow-up, these mice -- with a PER1 mutation but timed access to food -- showed no differences to control animals. This tells the researchers that the weight gain caused by PER1 is entirely caused by meal mistiming, not other metabolic defects.

Next, they hope to study exactly how PER1 controls appetite and eating behavior -- whether its molecular actions work through the liver, fat cells, brain or other organs.

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Study: People who sleep less eat more

A new study in children show that those who sleep less are more likely to be overeaters.

Young children who sleep less eat more, which can lead to obesity and related health problems later in life, reports a new study by UCL researchers.

The study found that 16 month-old children who slept for less than 10 hours each day consumed on average 105kcal more per day than children who slept for more than 13 hours. This is an increase of around 10% from 982kcal to 1087kcal.

Associations between eating, weight and sleep have been reported previously in older children and adults, but the study, published in the International Journal of Obesity, is the first to directly link sleep to energy intake in children under the age of 3 years. The association was observed before differences in weight emerged, strongly suggesting that energy intake is a key pathway through which sleep contributes to weight gain in early childhood. While the exact causes remain unclear, the regulation of appetite hormones may become disrupted by shorter sleeping patterns.

The study, funded by Cancer Research UK, involved 1303 UK families in the Gemini birth cohort, monitoring sleep when children were 16 months old and diet at 21 months old.

"We know that shorter sleep in early life increases the risk of obesity, so we wanted to understand whether shorter sleeping children consume more calories" explains Dr Abi Fisher of the Health Behaviour Research Centre at UCL. "Previous studies in adults and older children have shown that sleep loss causes people to eat more, but in early life parents make most of the decisions about when and how much their children eat, so young children cannot be assumed to show the same patterns.

"The key message here is that shorter sleeping children may prone to consume too many calories," says Dr Fisher. "Although more research is needed to understand why this might be, it is something parents should be made aware of."

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Pediatric migraines may be caused by environment

Different environmental factors, such as sleep deprivation, diet, and school, could play a role in pediatric migraines.

Environmental stressors play a large role in triggering migraines in children, according to Dr. Eric Pearlman.

"Migraine is definitely a pediatric disorder. It peaks in young adulthood, but it definitely occurs in kids," Dr. Pearlman, chair of the department of pediatrics at Mercer University in Savannah, Ga., said at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Epidemiologic data suggest that migraine occurs in 10.5% of 10- to 15-year-old children and 3% of 7-year-olds, and that headaches – possibly including migraines – occur in 4% of 3-year-olds. By about 13 years of age, the prevalence of migraines starts reaching adult levels of about 6% in males, and 18% in females.

Environmental factors such as sleep deprivation, dehydration, dietary factors, school stressors, hidden stressors (like peers), and hormonal fluctuations represent triggers that can be particularly pronounced in children, he noted.

With International Classification of Headache Disorders, third edition (ICHD-III) criteria, migraines can be differentiated from acute, acute recurrent, and chronic progressive or chronic nonprogressive headaches if a child has experienced at least five attacks lasting up to 72 hours (whether untreated or unsuccessfully treated), if nausea and/or vomiting or photophobia and phonophobia are present, and if the child has at least two of four characteristics, including unilateral location, pulsating quality, moderate to severe intensity, and a tendency to be aggravated by – or avoid – routine physical activity.

In children, photophobia and phonophobia can be inferred (if they report having to lie down in a dark, quiet room, for example), as many have difficulty describing or understanding these symptoms

Unilateral headaches are rare in children, Dr. Pearlman noted.

If a diagnosis of migraine is established, it is important to make the diagnosis known to the child, and to educate the child about the condition and treatments.

Consider providing handouts and referring to websites (such as theAmerican Headache Society or the National Headache Foundationsites), to help educate patients and to manage their expectations, as they need to understand you cannot cure their migraine, he advised.

Involving both the patient and their parents in decision making can improve compliance with treatment recommendations, he said.

Pharmacologic interventions can include nonspecific short-term therapies, migraine-specific therapies, and preventive treatment.

Nonspecific short-term therapies may include acetaminophen, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, or combination drugs. Migraine-specific therapies include ergotamine and dihydroergotamine, and the "triptans."

Seven triptans are available, including two that are approved for use in children; rizitriptan (Maxalt) is approved for children older than age 6 years, and almitriptan (Axert) is approved for those aged 12-17 years.

Maxalt comes in both an oral and orally disintegrating form, and is available as a generic drug. Generic sumitriptan (Imitrex) also is available.

"There are good data for most of the triptans for adolescents aged 12 and older," Dr. Pearlman said.

Rescue medications for those who have an inadequate response to short-term therapy can include a combination of an analgesic like a nonsteroidal and an antiemetic, or an opiate and an antiemetic if the patient used a nonsteroidal initially. Rescue medications may be needed "because nothing is going to work 100% of the time," he said.

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Children eat more when they lose sleep

A new study from Pediatrics looks specifically at what effects adding and losing hours of sleep have on children, specifically regarding their caloric intake. In short, they found that the less sleep a child gets, the more they eat.

Many studies have shown that kids and adults who sleep less are more likely to be overweight or obese. This correlation doesn't prove that sleeplessness causes obesity: Obesity can lead to sleep problems, and lack of sleep might be associated with socioeconomic factors, less organized homes and other factors that affect weight gain.

But a new experimental sleep study, reported in Pediatrics, actually looked at what adding and subtracting sleep does to weight and caloric intake in kids, and its findings suggest that just changing sleep duration may impact kids' waistlines.

The less you sleep, the more you eat

The researchers asked 37 kids, aged 8-11 years, 27 percent of them overweight or obese, to sleep as usual for the first week of the study. During the second and third weeks the kids alternated between sleeping 1.5 hour more and 1.5 hour less per night for an entire week. Sleep duration was verified by an actigraph -- a device that is placed on the wrist and monitors activity level. On average, the actual sleep difference between the week with increased and decreased sleep was about 2.5 hours.

So what can 2.5 hours do? During the week the kids slept more they reported eating 134 fewer calories per day compared to their intake during the reduced sleep condition, and their measured weight was about half a pound less.

While you may frown upon the 134-calorie decrease, if such a reduction is maintained over a long period of time -- something further studies that last longer than three weeks will need to prove -- this would be enormous. Weight is usually gained slowly, by eating just a little more than necessary over long periods of time. The energy gap is the daily discrepancy between energy intake and energy expenditure, and for American kids, the average energy gap estimate is just 64 calories a day. Eliminating calories in just the double digits daily could prevent further weight gain and doing that in your sleep could be sweet!

The exact mechanism in which sleep affects weight is unclear. After a good night's sleep we might be more active and burn more calories, we might have reduced appetites, and craving for high-calorie foods might be curbed.

Getting a good night's sleep

Getting enough sleep helps kids grow, concentrate in school, feel good, and -- as this study further suggests -- keep a healthy weight.

And while getting enough sleep isn't always easy, one of the factors that affect sleep is in our hands. TV before bed has been shown time and time again to result in kids sleeping later, and having a screen in the bedroom not only reduces sleep -- it is correlates independently with overweight.

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Children who get more sleep weigh less

A study claims that children who sleep more weigh less than their sleepier counterparts. This shows how important getting enough sleep is to children and their health.

Getting a good night's rest is an essential part of our every-day health. It's as simple as that.

The American Psychological Association shows that as many as 40 million Americans suffer from over 70 different sleep disorders, and 60 percent of adults report having sleep problems a few nights a week or more. Not enough sleep can greatly interfere with daily activities, create moodiness and instability in an individual's life and can also be a contributor to weight gain, among other health problems.

A recent study shows that more than ever, sleep is particularly important for children-and this can play a major contribution to losing weight.

"Achieving a good night's sleep during childhood should be explored as an important strategy to enhance prevention and intervention approaches for obesity," said associate professor of public health at Temple University's Center for Obesity Research and Education in Philadelphia, Chantelle Hart. She is also the lead study author of the research.

While looking at a three-week study involving 37 children ages 8 to 11, findings suggest that increasing sleep could help decrease food intake over time and improve weight regulation in this age group.

The children who added sleep tended to eat less, with an average of 134 calories a day. They also shed about half a pound on average and had lower morning levels of the hormone leptin-a 16-kDa adipokin that plays a key role in weight regulation.

Researchers are hoping to determine if sleep over a longer period may help prevent weight loss, as well.

"The evidence is incredibly strong and consistent that a short list of lifestyle factors has a phenomenal influence on weight, health and even gene expression," Dr. David Katz, director of the Yale University Prevention Research Center in New Haven, Conn. said, via Health.

Combined with a good night's rest, physical activity, eating a healthy diet, not smoking and stress reduction, these all play an important role in helping lose or maintain a healthy weight.

While adults can scrap by with eight hours a night, the National Sleep Foundation suggests that children and teens may need more.

For instance, school-aged children should get 10 to 11 hours a night while teens need around 9.25 hours of sleep, according to the organization.

At the end of their research, study authors note that while there is not a solid link between more sleep and weight loss, it potentially opens the door for greater research regarding the topic.

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Study: No link found between autism and celiac disease

A study claims there is no link between autism and celiac disease.

There's no link between celiac disease and autism spectrum disorders, a nationwide study from Sweden says.

People who were diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in the study were no more likely to be diagnosed with celiac disease than people without an ASD.

Dr. Jonas Ludvigsson, the study's lead author, said the finding offers one less thing to worry about for people with either celiac or ASDs.

"To them, this is good news," Ludvigsson, of Sweden's Karolinska Institute, said.

Some researchers have reported on single cases of people who were diagnosed with an ASD and who were then diagnosed with celiac disease.

In celiac disease, which is estimated to affect about one percent of Americans, an individual's own immune system attacks the small intestines if they eat gluten, a protein in wheat and certain other grains.

Other studies have found that switching those people to gluten-free diets appeared to also reduce ASD symptoms, but larger trials have not shown any link between the two conditions.

For the new study Ludvigsson and his colleagues connected several Swedish databases to compare the celiac disease diagnoses among people with ASDs to a group of people without the developmental disorders.

The researchers had information on more than 250,000 people and they found no difference in the rate of ASD diagnoses among people with celiac disease compared to those without the condition.

About 44 people per 100,000 were diagnosed with an ASD before they were diagnosed with celiac disease. That compared to about 48 people per 100,000 who were diagnosed with an ASD but not with celiac disease.

There was, however, a link between ASDs and a positive blood test for celiac disease, which alone is not enough to diagnose someone with the condition. A celiac disease diagnosis requires both a positive blood test and evidence of damage to the small intestine.

"It's very interesting in my mind, because it points to some relationship to gluten that's separate from celiac disease," Dr. Peter Green, professor of medicine and director of the Celiac Disease Center at Columbia University Medical Center and a gastroenterologist at NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia.

But Ludvigsson cautioned that the link between ASDs and a positive celiac blood test is based on a small number of cases. There could be a real relationship between the two or it could be a result of doctors overtesting people with ASDs, he said.

"I want to underline that the positive association we found in this small group could be by chance," Ludvigsson said.

The study also does not shed any light on whether a gluten-free diet improves ASD symptoms, he added.

"I think the next step would be for someone to carry out a well-performed study on a gluten-free diet in autism," Ludvigsson said. "There are several such studies, but my understanding is that they haven't been large enough in size."

Green, who was not involved in the new report, agreed that people can't draw any conclusions on gluten-free diets for autism.

"This (study) provides some evidence that there may be a role, but it may also help to find those who would possibly benefit from this therapy," he said.

Ludvigsson, who published his findings in JAMA Psychiatry, said it's also important to examine possible relationships between celiac disease and other "neurocognitive" disorders.

"Our study is definitive when it comes to refuting an association between celiac disease and autism, however, we can't rule out that autism is related to other intestinal conditions that do not fulfill the traditional criteria of celiac disease," he added.

Food purchasing is increased after sleep deprivation

A study links sleep deprivation to purchasing more food the following day which could influence weight gain and obesity over time.

People who were deprived of one night's sleep purchased more calories and grams of food in a mock supermarket on the following day in a new study published in the journal Obesity, the official journal of The Obesity Society. Sleep deprivation also led to increased blood levels of ghrelin, a hormone that increases hunger, on the following morning; however, there was no correlation between individual ghrelin levels and food purchasing, suggesting that other mechanisms -- such as impulsive decision making -- may be more responsible for increased purchasing.

Researchers in Sweden were curious as to whether sleep deprivation may impair or alter an individual's food purchasing choices based on its established tendency to impair higher-level thinking and to increase hunger.

"We hypothesized that sleep deprivation's impact on hunger and decision making would make for the 'perfect storm' with regard to shopping and food purchasing -- leaving individuals hungrier and less capable of employing self-control and higher-level decision-making processes to avoid making impulsive, calorie-driven purchases," said first author Colin Chapman, MSc, of Uppsala University.

On the morning after one night of total sleep deprivation, as well as after one night of sleep, Chapman, along with Christian Benedict, PhD, and their colleagues, gave 14 normal-weight men a fixed budget (approximately $50). The men were instructed to purchase as much as they could out of a possible 40 items, including 20 high-caloric foods and 20 low-calorie foods. The prices of the high-caloric foods were then varied to determine if total sleep deprivation affects the flexibility of food purchasing. Before the task, participants received a standardized breakfast to minimize the effect of hunger on their purchases.

Sleep-deprived men purchased significantly more calories (+9%) and grams (+18%) of food than they did after one night of sleep. The researchers also measured blood levels of ghrelin, finding that the hormone's concentrations were higher after total sleep deprivation; however, this increase did not correlate with food purchasing behavior.

"Our finding provides a strong rationale for suggesting that patients with concerns regarding caloric intake and weight gain maintain a healthy, normal sleep schedule," said Chapman.

Follow up studies are needed to address whether these sleep deprivation-induced changes in food purchasing behavior also exist under partial sleep deprivation, though. Additional research should also look into sleep deprivation's potential impact on purchasing behavior in general, as it may lead to impaired or impulsive purchasing in a variety of other contexts.

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